Do not let the world forget about the 101 hostages!

By Rolene Marks

Every morning, I think of baby Kfir. I wonder where he is, if he has met his milestones. Is he with his mother and brother? I think about Naama, Karina, Daniela and all of our female hostages. The situation they are in is a never-ending nightmare. We know about the sexual abuse that Hamas has forced on female (and some male) hostages. It is terrifying. I think of the families waiting desperately for their loved ones to return home. I think of the living hostages and how we as a nation could wrap our collective arms around them and help them on the long road to recovery. I think of the families who yearn for the remains of their loved ones to be returned to them, so that they can lay them to rest and have a place to weep. I think of them all – men and women, young and old, a myriad of faiths from over 20 countries. I think of them all and I ache. I know you do too.

For over 400 days, the 101 hostages have been held in the most untenable conditions and as we approach the rainy winter season, we know that the situation is getting progressively more dire. On a daily basis, family members warn that time is not running out – it has run out.

On October 7, over 250 hostages were brutally taken from the Nova festival and from the peaceful communities that bordered the Gaza strip. Many of them witnessed the carnage of that day as loved ones were brutally slain, raped, tortured and their homes set ablaze. Some of the hostages may not know that their families were murdered and their homes destroyed. I think of Eli Sharabi from Kibbutz Beeri. Eli’s wife, Leanne, and their two daughters, Noya and Yahel, were brutally murdered along with the family dog. Eli was taken hostage in Gaza. Yossi was taken to Gaza, but his wife managed to save their daughters and seven other civilians. They hid for eight hours without making a sound. Yossi was declared dead in captivity. I think of Eli – and if he knows of the devastating fate of his family.

I think of Yarden Bibas who thinks his gentle wife Shiri and two beautiful flame-haired sons, Kfir and Ariel were killed. Their fate is still unknown. I think of him sitting in his agony, as Hamas play their psychotic psychological games with him.

I think of Ohad Lipschitz. He is a great-grandfather. I think of the hopes his daughter-in-law Rita shared when we stood in the remnants of their burnt home in Nir Oz. Ohad used to transport children from Gaza who needed life-saving chemotherapy to Israeli hospitals as part of the “Road to Recovery” programme. Ohad is a peacenik. Rita hopes he is being held by a Palestinian family who may recognize him from his work and treat him kindly.

Each person is a universe – with an anxious family waiting desperately for their return. As days progress, the situation for the hostages becomes more and more urgent. Recently, health workers released studies of the impact of captivity on the health of the hostages according to age groups. The results are harrowing.

Key findings reveal:

– Released child hostages exhibit severe symptoms including night terrors, separation anxiety, and profound loss of trust in adults who failed to protect them

– Children of returned hostages struggle with complex emotions, including survivor’s guilt and difficulty accepting their changed family members

– Children with relatives still in captivity face “ambiguous loss,” leading to anxiety, depression, and PTSD

– The last child hostages remaining in Gaza, Ariel and Kfir Bibas (4 and 10 months old when kidnapped), face devastating developmental impacts from ongoing captivity.

Elderly captives also face severe impacts on their health – especially without access to necessary medications.

Professor Levine, Head of the health team for the Hostages Families Forum said:

“The findings emphasize the severe impact of captivity on elderly hostages who were already managing multiple chronic health conditions. The lack of access to essential medications and basic care, combined with prolonged detention in inadequate conditions, poses a significant risk to their lives. Sadly, our concerns have been validated, as many hostages did not survive the terrible conditions of captivity. The hostages, both elderly and non-elderly, are running out of time. Only their release can ensure their survival and prevent further deterioration and inhuman suffering.”

The main points of the report on the health impact on hostages includes:

•      Entering winter, hostages are critically weakened by malnutrition, with some losing up to 50% of their body weight, resulting in dangerously low muscle and body fat.

•      Hostages are highly vulnerable to hypothermia, frostbite, and respiratory infections, with weakened immune systems increasing their susceptibility to winter illnesses.

•      A lack of essential nutrients raises the risk of cardiovascular issues, including dangerous heart disturbances.

•      Hostages suffer severe psychological trauma from isolation, violence, and lack of family contact, driving many to despair and suicidal thoughts.

•      Families endure “ambiguous loss,” facing chronic stress, anxiety, and declining health as they wait in painful uncertainty.

•      Deprived of International Red Cross visits and medical aid, hostages face severe health risks and potential disappearance.

What has been absolutely outrageous is the lack of visits – or even concern from the International Red Cross. In a twist that can only been seen as Orwellian, Pierre Krahenbuhl, the former head of UNRWA who resigned under murky circumstances, is now the director-general of the ICRC. UNRWA has been under the microscope because of the involvement of members of staff with Hamas and the atrocities of 7 October.

Dor Steinbrecher whose sister Doron was taken hostage from her home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, together with her parents, Roni and Simona, went to the Red Cross to ask them to transfer medication to their daughter who is required to take it every day.

Dor told Jack Tapper on CNN:

“My sister should take her medication on a daily basis. She probably hasn’t taken it since Oct 7. My mum had a few meetings with the Red Cross and she told them my sister needs to get her medicine. They told her we should care more about Arab people on the other side, the people of Gaza, and less about our loved ones. It was very shocking.”

The only interaction that the Red Cross has had with the hostages is the role of a glorified taxi service during the ceasefire in November 2023 when over 100 were released.

The hostages are not a political issue. This global humanitarian issue requires a global response. The hostages represent a multitude of faiths and come from over 20 countries. We cannot allow them to disappear from the global conscience.

I think of the hostages every day. I know you do too. Let us make sure that the world does not forget about them.

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